Four out of every 10 Miami metro area entrepreneurs plan to hire more employees in the next 12 months — 23 percentage points higher than the national average, according to Bank of America’s fall 2017 Small Business Owner Report released Tuesday.

Small Business Spotlight: Sisters Dr. Jamelah Tucker, a pediatrician, and Dorielle Price, a mother and an engineer, sought solutions to the age-old question: How do you get kids to eat their vegetables? Their solution: EasyPeasie Veggie Blends.

Crowdfunders handed over $235,598 to AquaVault, which plans to produce an improved version of its portable safe, the FlexSafe+, that can be attached to beach chairs or other objects, safely storing electronics, wallets and other valuables.

For the third year in a row, the South Florida District of the U.S. Small Business Administration exceeded $1 billion small business lending – and this year, the district achieved it in half the year. Through June 30, the district's government guarantees totaled 2,078 loans for $1.09 billion in the district, which encompasses 24 counties south of Orlando.

Miami area small business owners are more confident about their business performance than their counterparts in other markets, according to the spring 2017 Bank of America Small Business Owner Report. Still, the businesses plan to pull back on hiring.

StartUP FIU FOOD assists small community food entrepreneurs to grow their businesse, leveraging the Chapin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management’s large commercial kitchen and providing workshops for skills development, food science training, mentorship and access to capital.

Nearly 70 percent of business owners in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties surveyed by Entrepreneurs’ Organization reported higher revenue over the past six months, and 57 percent said they hired additional full-time employees. What’s more, South Florida business owners are more confident than their peers worldwide.

See the moment when Hilton Head fishing crew catches 16-foot great white shark

Survivors of the Florida school shooting and hundreds of others descended upon the state capitol Wednesday to demand action on gun control and mental health issues. The rally comes exactly a week after 17 students were killed when a former student opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

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Students rally at Florida State Capitol to demand action gun control, mental health